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Hey there! I'm Holly. A 40+ year old insurance-nerd wife, mom, beauty lover, and about a million other things in between.
This is the place where I share about our lives, what I'm currently loving, books I'm reading, plus-size style, beauty recommendations, health + fitness endeavors and anything else I'm finding interesting at the moment.
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Monthly Archives: February 2012
Central Coast Eats + Drinks
We headed down to the Central Coast last weekend to celebrate my good friend Sarah’s 30th Birthday. She and her other half, Nick, have recently gotten engaged so we may have clinked a glass or two for that as well! For those of you who don’t live in California, the hotel in Laguna Beach is absolutely the best! It’s not quite Northern California but not quite Southern California, and it’s chock full of wineries, hilly scenery, gorgeous ocean views and most importantly — fantastic weather in February! If you ever have the chance to visit: MAKE IT HAPPEN. We hung out for four days, which definitely wasn’t long enough and of course, we ate our way through the long weekend away because well…this is what we do when we go on vacation.
It’s a 5 hour road trip from Sacramento, so we got started fairly early with a good play list and brunch at In-n-Out. That brunch included some seriously delicious Protein-Style/Animal-Style Double Doubles which is really the only way to roll in my humble opinion. Then it was onto the drive.
We got into town with just a few minutes to spare and met up with Nick to do a workout over at CrossFit Five Cities.
Yes we did plan a WOD on our vacation because we are crazy like that! It was actually a total blast until I bit it doing a box jump and basically tore up my left shin. You’re welcome for not taking a picture of that. 10 days later it is still black and blue and mising a major chunk. Worst CrossFit injury to date and perhaps not the nicest way to start a vacation, but when we got home Sarah had made us the best looking Cobb Salads ever and I’ll tell you what, that *IS* a great way to start a vacation.
I feel like I should also mention that this entire weekend of eating and drinking and general debauchery? Sarah’s fiance Nick was only drinking juice. He is in the middle of a 60 day Juice Fast (SIXTY DAYS!!!!!) and his restraint is now officially something of legend. So throughout this entire post where I detail our ridiculous gorging, just imagine Nick drinking only this:
He is documenting his “Life Reboot” daily on You Tube so check out his channel if you are interested in that journey. Holy Heck he is one dedicated gentleman! You’re over halfway through Nick — you can see the finish line!
Saturday morning we were up bright and early to run a local 5K at the birthday girl’s request. And you know the rules: what the birthday girl wants, the birthday girl gets.
We laced up our shoes and set off on what was (for me) the most challenging 5K I have ever run. We ran about a mile through a residential area and then all of a sudden we were at the bottom of a little hilled trail and the only way to go was up. SUPER CHALLENGING, but it also made me want to start running more trails because it was so fun! I finished the 5K in just over 38 minutes which was a minute longer than my Thanksgiving 5K PR, but since it was about a mile up some steep ass hill, I’ll take it!
The we showered up and headed out for a day of wine tasting that we had most definitely earned! Our first stop was Tobin James Cellars and we left with a case of wine and good buzz, which is always a good sign.
If you ever find yourself in the Paso Robles Wine Country, definitely make this one of your first stops and try their signature cocktail, the Tobin-tini. It’s sparkling wine mixed with their one of their late harvest Zin’s and I wasn’t really sold on it just hearing about it, but once I tasted it? It was LOVE! If you have dessert at my house any time in the next few months it will surely be on the menu.
Next we headed to Penman Springs Vineyard, which is such a gem of a winery a little bit off the beaten path. I mean how can you not love a winery who has piano players, puzzles and homemade Grand Marnier Nutella? You just can’t.
We didn’t want to go crazy buying wine but we could not leave this artisan winery without a few bottles — we were very impressed! Plus they had all sorts of delicious little treats to sample so we may have also made it home with some garlic-basil grapeseed oil that I plan to use all summer long with the tomatoes from my garden. My mouth is watering just thinking about how amazing that’s going to be!
The third stop was Clautiere Vineyards, and while the grounds were delightful, their wines unfortunately were not. Also, they charge a tasting fee which isn’t too common down in the Paso area. We were mostly unimpressed. The only reason I would recommend this as a stop though is that they have crazy wigs in their tasting room and if there is anything more fun than hanging with your buzzed friends trying on different wigs, well I’m not sure what it is. Go for the wigs, not the wine and you won’t be disappointed.
Also, if you are lucky you will run into a gentleman like this one, which I was laughing about for most of the afternoon.
Finally it was time to eat, so we made our way to Sculpterra Winery & Sculpture Garden for a picnic and some tasting. They have all sorts of crazy sculptures on their grounds if you feel like taking some wacky pictures.
Plus a lovely patio for having some munchies with a big or small group. It also may be a great patio for shotgunning beers, or so I’ve heard. We kept it real classy that afternoon.
Their wines are on the pricey side, but the tasting was impressive so I would definitely recommend a stop there if you are looking for some investment wine or just a nice place to eat.
Our last stop of the day was at Veris Cellars who win the day because they not only have awesome sparkling wines but also a driving range on site.
We hung out while the sun was setting and then of course decided on the next place we would stop: To Eat. It was that kind of weekend. We ended up at Downtown Brew in Paso Robles and you will just have to use your imagination since I did not snap a photo of the Largest Plate of Carnitas Nachos Ever. You are full already with all this eating aren’t you? Don’t worry, our next stop involved only drinking when we grabbed a night cap at Dunbar Brewing Company in Santa Margarita — a tiny little hole in the wall craft brew pub that only serves 2 brews per night or a bottle of Miller High Life: Take your pick.
After all of that, it was time to call it a night.
Sunday we adventured all over San Luis Obispo County but food-wise the highlights were definitely the Breakfast Burritos at Rudy & Angie’s in Grover Beach.
I think “Size of Your Head” sums it up nicely. And again, may I remind you — Nick is still patiently drinking vegetable juice, in case you forgot.
We ran some errands (including checking out the Jason Wu for Target launch, which I was sadly unimpressed with) and then made our way to San Luis Obispo to try the SLO Donut Company, where I experienced the life changing event of eating a Nutella Donut. I will never be the same again.
I wish I could tell you this place was over-hyped, but man was it delicious. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned but donuts are my personal kryptonite. The smell alone in that place was INTOXICATING. Kind of the theme of the weekend, methinks!
The following day it was time to get back on the road. While we were sad to leave good friends, it was time to get back to a little more normal and a little less indulging! I think if you are going to deviate from your routine, you might as well go hog wild, and go hog wild we did!
There have been lots of salads in my life lately, that is for sure!
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Do you eat your way through a vacation, or are you more the sight seeing type?
Get This In Your Kitchen: Carmen’s Gourmet Dressings & Marinades
Carmen’s Gourmet Sauces & Marinades have solved one of my major life problems — and deliciously, I might add. And for the record, no one is paying me to say that. You see, one of the hardest things about going Paleo was reading the ingredient labels on all of the bottled salad dressings and packaged marinades I enjoyed and then picking my mouth up off the floor when I realized how much crazy stuff was in there. While I didn’t really have a problem giving up “processed convenience food” since we weren’t really eating that much anyway, the bottled dressings were my achilles heel. This was especially difficult because we were eating A LOT more salad and A LOT more meat.
I did end up adapting and finding some enjoyable recipes for dressings and marinades from scratch, but every once in a while I like to be able to reach into my fridge and grab a little salad topper or have fun with a marinade that I don’t have to measure and mix up myself and Carmen’s is hands down my FAVORITE brand! While every bottle is not 100% strict paleo, their ingredients mostly include local San Luis Obispo Olive Oil, vinegars and herbs and spices — it’s about as close as you can get. Their flavor combos are fun, the ingredients are high quality and the convenience factor wins me over every time.
Garrett loves the Habitual Habanero on just about everything — especially taco salad! I’m partial to the Gorgonzola Thyme on a good cobb salad. When it comes to meat, he Serrano is great on chicken and the kalamata olive dressing? Please! YOU KNOW I love a good greek salad. That one calls my name on the regular. Our favorite little Olive Oil store in San Luis Obispo has them sitting out with bread for dipping if that’s your bag, and Garrett has even fried up an egg or two using them and can’t get enough. Super versatile to have around is what I’m saying and while they aren’t your typical $3.99 bottle of Hidden Valley Ranch, you get what you pay for in quality without fillers.
We stocked up this last weekend when we were on the central coast, but lucky you — you can purchase them online. It’s a fun little treat for your palate! And if you want some creative inspiration their website has all sorts of fun recipes.
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So now that I’ve told you my favorite convenience salad dressings/marinade I want you to tell me your favorite ones from scratch. You know you have a good recipe waiting to be shared, don’t you? I need all the help I can get.
January 2012 // Books
Oooooooooooooooookay, so January got of to a slow start! My goal of reading 75 books this year means I need to average 6.25 books per month. This month, I read 4. Slow going around these parts.
(Don’t even ask about how many books I read off my own bookshelf. The answer is a resounding and sad: 0.)
Whether I have an aggressive reading goal or not, I can always tell whether or not my life is in balance by the amount I am reading. Right now, I’m not reading very much. It was a struggle to finish these 4 books and I NEVER felt like I had enough time to get lost in a book this month. All indications seem to say I am teetering on the brink of insanity.
Ahem, Noted.
Hopefully I can get back into the swing in February, but I can tell you it’s been slow going this month already. But I have SO MANY good library books right now I have to find a way to make that happen! Wish me luck.
Here’s what was on the nightstand last month:
The Underside of Joy by Sere Prince Halverson
We already talked pretty in depth about this one, so I am just going to leave it at that. But it was enjoyable and there is still lots of discussion going on over at Blog Her weekly about this one if you are on the fence.
I mentioned in my review that it seemed very Jodi Piccoult-ish and for the sake of disclosure I feel like I should say I am NOT a fan. But this book seemed to have the good parts of the Piccoult novel, with out all the drawn out dramatics. Short, sad, touching.
The Pocket Stylist by Kendall Farr
This was a really quick and informative read about all things style related. It was a recommendation from Wardrobe Oxygen (and you know I love that site) and I agree with her that it is full of practical tips that regular women can use. And I’m talking actual direction that YOU can take into YOUR closet, not your fantasy closet that you will have when you are super stylish.
I’m thinking I will do a little cliffs notes review of some of the more enlightening tips in the future if you’re interested. I found it to be fun to read but also full of good thinking! Shapes, fabrics, tips from behind the scenes of styling photo shoots — I mean, I love that in a reference book. It’s at least worth a check out at the library! 🙂
This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
This is the best book I’ve read in a while. Darkly comic, real characters and writing that made me laugh out loud and feel envious of all at the same time. I think there are two main camps with Jonathan Tropper — those who think he is a knock off Nick Hornby and those who think he is the most brilliant writer EVER. I would say I fall somewhere in the middle — the guy has a way with words (analogies that are so on-point it is nuts!) and he is super hysterical, but there is a bit of that Hornby vibe that you have to acknowledge. If Nick Hornby is Radiohead, Jonathan Tropper is Coldplay. How much hipster pride you want to hold on to while reading this book is up to you. Worthwhile read though. Thanks for the recommendation Liz!
The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander The morning after my dad died I remember waking up and realizing that despite the absolute devastation I was feeling, the entire world had just kept on spinning. It was a really horrifying moment actually. If real life had a soundtrack, there probably would have been a lot of canned shrieking going on. That probably sounds ridiculous, but I was 19 so I still had that feeling that my life was the center of the universe.
Anyway, what the hell does this have to do with this book? Good question. Going through that type of grieving experience at that age really underscored for me early this idea that I could not control what happened in my life, I could only control my reaction to it. My thoughts and judgments were what limited me, it wasn’t external events. It’s one of the best lessons I have taken away from such a shitty experience. That’s a long sidebar to say that this book deals with a lot of those same types of potential little epiphanies about how your own thoughts can limit you creatively and professionally. While I thought this was an interesting book and would definitely recommend it, it sort of felt like retaking a class that I had already aced, if that makes any sense? But if you are in need of a little epiphany in your life, it’s worth checking out.
Any Earth Shattering Reads for you this month?
Playing Catch Up
We spent the last 4 days out of town and when we walked in the door last night I was happily exhausted from sun, fun, wine and delicious (nutritionally bankrupt) food. Our bags were full of dirty clothes, the refrigerator was empty and we were spent.
If I was an organized blogger I probably would have spent hours setting up auto-posts of fabulous content for you to read and enjoy but let’s be real — I could hardly pack my bags efficiently with how full life has been these past few weeks so this space has gone neglected!
OOPS: My bad. Life happens, you all.
I do have all sorts of exciting things to tell you (especially about how we ate and drank our way through the central coast — TOTALLY WORTH IT) but they will have to wait until tomorrow. Today I am playing catch up at work and at life. So with that I will leave you with this picture, which basically sums up my entire life philosophy:
It was a lovely day celebrating my good friend Sarah’s 30th Birthday. And let’s just say, CELEBRATE we did!
Winter Style Challenge – Day Nine // Open to Interpretation
Hooray! Ten days of inspirational style prompts. God knows I need some! Check out Kayla’s post explaining the challenge here if you would like to play along.
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Today’s prompt was visual. Get inspired by this outfit:
Then go make one of your own.
I had many ideas.
The first idea — was that I NEEEEEEEDED to buy these pants. (In the Green color, of course!) The problem is that “sateen finish” pants are the kind that wrinkle AS YOU ARE PUTTING THEM ON. I am too old for that. Sorry NY & Co. I can’t hang. Also, they fit weird. Too big in the waist, too small in my thighs. Story of my life — thank you CrossFit.
So my second idea was to pair a fun bright color with some neutrals. So I busted out my new hot pink blazer and a khaki skirt. Because HOW CUTE IS THIS BLAZER?
Cute right?
But I’m not sold on it just yet so I haven’t cut off the tags. It’s the button placement. I could do an entire post on that, but I’m afraid the verdict is going to be to take it back and keep looking and my desire for ONE HOT PINK ARTICLE OF CLOTHING is so strong right now. Le sigh.
Anyway, other more pressing problem: my khaki skirt is now too big. Yay! Except um, boo! So I still had nothing to wear. And at that point I was already like 15 minutes late to work.
So in the end, I did this:
Boots and Pants + some green. Consider that prompt interpreted. There are also some stripes in there because um…obviously. That’s how I roll.
Tomorrow’s prompt is Something You Are Afraid Of…and already, I’m shaking in my boots.
See and Be Scene
We’ve watched some suuuuuper random movies lately. My netflix queue has clearly broken the recommendation algorithm because the stuff they have been suggesting lately is bananas. No thank you, Jean Claude Van Damme movies. But I thought I’d share some snippets from the last few cinematic weeks:
Crazy Stupid Love: I wanted this to be GREAT and while I enjoyed it, I thought it was only okay. I think Steve Carell was better as a romantic lead in Dan in Real Life (I shamelessly love that movie) and for me Ryan Gosling in Drive was his best role this year. Even the gratuitous ab shots couldn’t compete with Drive. Entertaining-ish though. And Emma Stone is cuteness squared.
Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune: Hey-O, not a feel good movie! But an interesting look at a time in history interspersed with an influential artist. Garrett has an incredibly large soft spot for Folk Music (He’d light his lighter up at a Peter, Paul and Mary show for sure!) so this was his pick. But I love a good documentary.
Elf: Dude I know. This movie is completely seasonally inappropriate as well as a million years old. I can’t believe I had never seen it until recently either. But HOLY HELL it was so funny we’ve watched it twice. It will definitely be added to the Holiday Rotation. Will Ferrell has this uncanny ability to make me do a full body belly laugh with just an expression. I don’t know what it is. I miss his Saturday Night Live years.
Another Earth: I loved this movie. It was beautiful to watch and I’m still thinking about it. When I read the plot synopsis I wasn’t sure it would be my kind of movie (it sounded a little sci fi for my tastes) but it was REALLY emotional and interesting in a way that I didn’t anticipate. Worth a watch.
On tonight’s movie menu:
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While we don’t watch movies nearly as often as I would like, my heart still goes pitter-pat over the potential of a good film. Every year around the time of the Oscars I get a little bit of entertainment industry nostalgia. Have I ever told you that I was once a very aspiring film student? I think I have but I can’t remember. It was during The LA Years (obviously) and the short story goes like this: when you flunk out of your previous college, film schools in LA laugh at your applications. Actually they probably laugh at applications full of amazing grades, because that stuff is COMPETITIVE. And so my life took a different path. But I still have fond memories of living down there and every year I try my best to watch all of the Oscar contenders to recapture a little bit of that buzz that I used to feel while living in LA. We are woefully behind this year, but I’m going to do my best to make a valiant effort!
Have you looked at the list of nominees?
What movies have you seen on the list? Will you be trying to squeeze them all in?
Any other good movie recommendations for me. My netflix queue is now dangerously low. 🙂
Winter Style Challenge – Day Eight // Dress Up A Coat
Hooray! Ten days of inspirational style prompts. God knows I need some! Check out Kayla’s post explaining the challenge here if you would like to play along.
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So I mentioned previously that I only have one coat, and what do you know I already wore it the other day! I was quite stumped this morning about how to dress up a coat because along with only owning a single coat I also do not have:
A) Any broach or pin or broach/pin-like accessories
B) Scarves that aren’t cotton-y and don’t really dress up my coat as much as they dress up my outfit
C) Any desire to put a belt on a bulky pea coat
So…see? Stumped!
I came across these amazing “Girls School Summer Dresses” that will change your whole outfit.
But as I sat in my closet pacing around I remembered a trench coat that a friend sent to me as a hand-me-down. I had never worn it but I thought hey — I could put a belt on that, right? I mean it comes with a belt. Why do I have to leave THAT particular belt on it. I don’t!
And so I didn’t. I added my own belt. And a leopard print belt, in fact:
And while I don’t LOOOOOOVE it, it definitely took me out of my comfort zone, and the whole process demanded more creativity than I am used to putting into coats. And honestly, it was kind of fun!
Can I get some extra credit for pattern mixing too? Boy, this entire outfit was exhausting! 🙂
Anyway, like I said, I don’t feel like it’s an 11 out of 10, but I will tell you that belting a coat is something I WILL try again. So, victory I think!
